Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez will be our guest speaker for the event. Friends of the Everglades will be awarding 'The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Defender of the Everglades' Award to Senator Rodriguez at the meeting. He will be giving a presentation on his campaign #ActOnClimateFL addressing environmental issues affecting South Florida, followed by a brief Q&A session. Join us!

José Javier Rodríguez was elected in 2016 as State Senator to represent District 37, before that he served as State Representative for House District 112. José Javier serves on seven committees, which include Commerce and Tourism, Community Affairs, Ethics and Elections, Rules, Finance & Tax Appropriations, Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations and the General Government Appropriations. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal. He worked for over five years as a legal aid lawyer with Florida Legal Services, where he litigated individual, complex, and representative actions on behalf of vulnerable groups. Currently, José Javier is a practicing attorney with the Kelley/Uustal trial firm. On the 2018 legislative session, Senator Rodriguez sponsored environmental bills including legislation to ban plastic bags in coastal communities and planning for the effects of sea level rise in Florida.